ISO 14001

ISO 14000 refers to a series of voluntary standards in the environmental field under development by ISO. Included in the ISO 14000 series are the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. Standard and other standards in fields such as environmental auditing, environmental performance evaluation, environmental labeling, and life-cycle assessment.

The ISO 14001 standard requires that a community or organization put in place and implement a series of practices and procedures that, when taken together, result in an EMS. ISO 14001 is not a technical standard and as such does not in any way replace technical requirements embodied in statutes or regulations. It also does not set prescribed standards of performance for organizations. The major requirements of an EMS under ISO 14001 include:

A policy statement which includes commitments to prevention of pollution, continual improvement of the EMS leading to improvements in overall environmental performance, and compliance with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

Identification of all aspects of the community organization's activities, products, and services that could have a significant impact on the environment, including those that are not regulated

Setting performance objectives and targets for the management system which link back to the three commitments established in the community or organization's policy (i.e. prevention of pollution, continual improvement, and compliance)

Implementing the EMS to meet these objectives. This includes activities like training of employees, establishing work instructions and practices, and establishing the actual metrics by which the objectives and targets will be measured.

Establishing a program to periodically audit the operation of the EMS

Checking and taking corrective and preventive actions when deviations from the EMS occur, including periodically evaluating the organization's compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.

Undertaking periodic reviews of the EMS by top management to ensure its continuing performance and making adjustments to it, as necessary.

This Standard is under revision now and a final draft international standards is projected to be published by the end of 2004.

BENEFITS:
Improvements in overall environmental performance and compliance

Provide a framework for using pollution prevention practices to meet EMS objectives

Increased efficiency and potential cost savings when managing environmental obligations

Promote predictability and consistency in managing environmental obligations

More effective targeting of scarce environmental management resources

Enhance public posture with outside stakeholders

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